Moraga said that when main-card fighters Lyoto Machida and Mike Swick delivered highlight-reel KOs at the event, which took place this past Saturday at Los Angeles’ Staples Center, he knew not to get his hopes up.

“I didn’t expect to (win a bonus) after they had such great fights on the main card,” he said. “Those are the guys that have the bigger audience, and when they perform like that, I think they deserve it.”

At the very least, though, Moraga deserves a bump up in competition. In his UFC debut, which aired live on FX as part of the event’s preliminary card, he knocked out a multi-title champion from Tachi Palace Fights. The preliminary-card win set the tone for the rest of the night.

“I haven’t really gotten to those discussions with them yet,” Moraga said.

One competitor from the flyweight division already has history with Moraga. “The Ultimate Fighter 14″ winner John Dodson, who’s now a flyweight and 2-0 in the UFC, bested him on points in a debacle of an event that took place two years ago in the Dominican Republic.

Moraga may not have been at his best then, as he and the rest of the fighters had to bully a check out of the promoter. The check, of course, bounced.

“On top of that, I couldn’t get fights after that,” he said. “That was a tough time for me. I’m glad I got through it. I’m just blessed to have my kids with me every night to remind me why I do it.”

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